Couples - The Domestic Division of Labour

Question 1

What does the domestic division of labour refer to?

Answer 1

The roles that men and women play in relation to housework, childcare and paid work

Question 2

What are sociologists interested in regarding the domestic division of labour?

Answer 2

They are interested in whether or not men and women share the domestic tasks equally

Question 3

Who developed the instrumental and expressive roles theory?

Answer 3

Parsons

Question 4

Which model of the family shows a clear division of labour between husband and wife?

Answer 4

Parsons’ functionalist model of the family

Question 5

What role does the husband have according to Paraons?

Answer 5

The instrumental role

Question 6

What does the instrumental role involve?

Answer 6

Achieving success at work so the husband can produce financially for his family. The man is the breadwinner

Question 7

What role does the wife have according to Paraons’ functionalist model of the family?

Answer 7

An expressive role

Question 8

What does the expressive role involve? (3)

Answer 8

Primary socialisation of the children
Meeting the family’s emotional needs
Full time housewife rather than wage earner

Question 9

What is the division of labour based on according to Parsons?

Answer 9

Based on biological differences

Question 10

What roles are men and women biologically suited to according to Parsons?

Answer 10

Women biologically suited to nurturing role
Men biologically suited to role of provider

Question 11

Why is the segregated division of labour a good thing according the Parsons?

Answer 11

Because it is beneficial to men and women, their children and wider society

Question 12

Which sociologists hold the view of Parsons other than functionalists?

Answer 12

New Right thinkers

Question 13

Three sociologists that criticise Parsons

Answer 13

Young and Willmott
Oakley

Question 14

Y and W

Answer 14

Young and Willmott

Question 15

How do Y and W criticise Parsons’ functionalist model of the family?

Answer 15

They argue that men are now taking greater share of domestic tasks and more wives are becoming wage earners

Question 16

What aspect of Parsons’ functionalist model of the family do feminist sociologists reject?

Answer 16

The view that the division of labour is based on biological differences

Question 17

Who does Parsons’ functional model of the family only benefit according to feminists?

Answer 17

Only benefits men

Question 18

What process did the unfair division of labour originate according to Oakley?

Answer 18

Industrialisation

Question 19

What does Oakley believe about the housewife role? (Criticism of Parsons)

Answer 19

Believes it is socially constructed rather than biological

Question 20

Who came up with 2 conjugal roles?

Answer 20

Bott

Question 21

What are conjugal roles?

Answer 21

Roles that men and women play within a marriage

Question 22

What two conjugal roles did Bott develop?

Answer 22

Segregated and joint conjugal roles

Question 23

Segregated conjugal roles

Answer 23

Couples have separate roles where male is breadwinner and female in homemaker/carer

Question 24

Joint conjugal roles

Answer 24

Couple share tasks such as housework and childcare

Question 25

During what study did Y and W identify a pattern of segregated conjugal roles?

Answer 25

In their study of traditional w/c extended families on 1950s London

Question 26

How did Y and W identify a pattern of segregated conjugal roles?

Answer 26

Found men were breadwinners who played little part in home life and spend their leisure time with workmates Found women were full time housewives

Question 27

What view do Y and W take about the history of the family?

Answer 27

A march of progress view

Question 28

What do Y and W believe there has been a long term trend away from?

Answer 28

A long term trend away from segregated conjugal roles

Question 29

What type of family did Y and W develop?

Answer 29

The symmetrical family

Question 30

What is the symmetrical family?

Answer 30

A family where the roles of the husband and wife are equal as women now work, men now help with housework/childcare and couples now spend their leisure time together

Question 31

In modern society, which couples are symmetrical families most common in?

Answer 31

Younger couples Geographically and socially isolated couples Rich couples

Question 32

What is the rise of the symmetrical family a result of according to Y and W?

Answer 32

Rapid social changes

Question 33

Examples of rapid social changes

Answer 33

Changes in women’s positions Geographical mobility New technology Higher living standards

Question 34

Which sociologists reject the march of progress view?

Answer 34

Feminists

Question 35

Why do feminists reject the march of progress view?

Answer 35

Because they argue that little has changed as men and women remain unequal within the family as women do more more

Question 36

What do household inequalities stem from according to feminists?

Answer 36

Patriarchal society

Question 37

Which sociologist is Oakley?

Answer 37

A feminist

Question 38

How does Oakley criticise Y and W?

Answer 38

By claiming their arguments are exaggerated

Question 39

Example of how Y and W arguments are exaggerated

Answer 39

They found husbands helped their wives at least once a week but this could simply include an easy task such as taking the kids to the park

Question 40

When did Oakley conduct research onto housewives?

Answer 40

1974

Question 41

What trend towards family symmetry did Oakley find in her research on housewives?

Answer 41

No evidence of a trend towards symmetry

Question 42

What percentage of husbands had a high level of participation in housework in Oakley’s research on housewives in 1974?

Answer 42

15%

Question 43

What percentage of husbands had a high level of participation in childcare in Oakley’s research on housewives in 1974?

Answer 43

25%

Question 44

Who found that fewer than 20% of husbands played a major role in childcare in their 1983 study?

Answer 44

A feminist called Boulton

Question 45

How do Y and W exaggerate men’s contributions according to Boulton?

Answer 45

By looking at tasks involved in childcare, rather than responsibilities

Question 46

When would men carry out ‘female tasks’ according to feminists Worde and Hetherington?

Answer 46

Only when their partners weren’t available